This Land Is Your Land

Art/Language Arts

Children create picture post cards for different aspects of the United States they learn about from songs.

What You Need

words and music for “This Land Is Your Land” and/or other songs about places in America

reference books about places in America

drawing paper

art materials

What to Do

Using Woody Guthrie's “This Land Is Your Land” or another song as a starter, have each child design a picture post card that might come from one of the places mentioned. For example, children might illustrate places in California, “the New York Island” (Long Island), the redwood forest, or the Gulf Stream water.

Have each child write a message on the other side of the post card about the “trip” to the pictured site. Have the children direct their cards to classmates, using global addresses, and deliver them.

Teaching Options

Encourage each child to design a stamp for the post card, one that honors a musician, a song, or even a particular instrument.

Children can use the song to stimulate visual images of what they want to draw. Or you can help them find pictures of the locations in reference books.

Have children locate each place on a map, point to it, and then find their own state. Use self-adhesive notes to mark each location. Then ask children which one is closest to home, which is farthest away, and so forth.